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Strolling Solvang with Kids: Danish Capital of America

Sometimes an inspiration to visit a place comes from an unconventional source.  In my case, it’s an ethnic-themed town located in central California.  Solvang, a charming village known as the “Danish Capital of America“, has always inspired me to explore Denmark and introduce the kids to this part of Europe.  After years of lingering on our travel bucket list, we finally booked a trip to Denmark this summer (along with a couple of neighboring countries). Update: See our blog posts on our Denmark trip.

Solvang california image

Solvang (meaning sunny field in Danish) was founded in 1911 by three Danish immigrants who raised enough money to buy almost 10,000 acres of land in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Many Danish settlers and immigrants from California and the Midwest bought these lands which were subdivided into farms and homes and established businesses to help grow this town into a colony.

Solvang California street image

We spent this past holiday weekend at the central California coast and decided to revisit Solvang and do a “little Denmark” mini-orientation for the kids before our trip.  We were here a couple of years ago but this visit meant a little more knowing we’ll see its counterpart soon.

Solvang california sign image

Walking around the streets of Solvang, one can instantly feel its old world charm.  I always feel like I’ve been transported to a quaint European village.

Solvang architecture image

In the late 1940s, residents decided to construct new buildings and remodel old ones to reflect their heritage and culture.  Most followed a Danish provincial style architecture including the use of wood shingles to make the structures appear to have thatch roofs.

Solvang Hamlet Inn image

Main Street was changed to Copenhagen Drive and most of the street names were renamed to Danish names and cities – Atterdag, Kronborg, Kolding, Roskilde to name a few.

solvang architecture image

Details, such as wrought ironwork and hand painted panels, were incorporated into various buildings to give them the overall authentic Danish village look.

Solvang building details image

Solvang has four Danish-style windmills scattered throughout the town.  Most of them house gift shops nowadays.

Solvang windmills image

Many of the building have various plastic nesting stork decorations displayed on their rooftops.  Danish tradition states that storks ward off lightning and bring good luck.  Stork spotting was a wonderful way to keep the kids busy while strolling the streets.

Solvang stork image

There are a couple of Copenhagen landmarks that gave us a bit of a preview of attractions we’ll see.  One of Copenhagen’s famous landmark is The Little Mermaid statue.  Solvang’s version sits on top of a fountain, that could easily be missed, located on a busy intersection.  After visiting Solvang a few times over the years, this is the first time we’ve actually seen her.

Solvang Little Mermaid statue image

The Round Tower  (Rundetårn) in Copenhagen is one of  Europe’s oldest astronomical observatories.   Solvang’s version is a third the size of the original and is a pizza restaurant.

Solvang round tower rundetarn image

Solvang has various bakeries selling traditional Danish pastries including buckets of butter cookies that can be taken home as souvenirs.  It’s hard to walk around and not see visitors eating various treats including a favorite, the aebleskiver (pronounced aye-bell-ski-ver).  These are little pastry balls, drizzled with raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar.  There’s usually a line at the Solvang Restaurant shop window to get these tasty treats.  If you feel the need to cook some at home, they have aebliskiver pans sold at many stores too.  They are delicious!

Solvang aebleskiver image

For some who may need to wash down all the desserts and pastries, there are about 14 wine tasting rooms within a four block radius around town.  Solvang’s proximity to the 80+ wineries at the nearby Santa Ynez Valley also makes this a popular place for wine lovers.

Santa Ynez Valley Solvang winery image

Staying close to its heritage, Solvang has two museums, the Elverhøj and Hans Christian Andersen for visitors to enjoy.  Elverhøj was created to preserve Solvang’s Danish culture and to promote the arts.   We visited the free Hans Christian Andersen to get acquainted with one of Denmark’s citizens, famous for writing beloved tales like Little Mermaid and Ugly Duckling.  My daughter was fascinated with this museum and explored every corner and exhibit.  She treated us to various Hans Christian Andersen trivia on the way home and hopefully will come in handy on the trip.

Solvang Hans Christian andersen museum image

Solvang isn’t a very big town of 5,400 residents.  It’s pedestrian friendly and very walkable.  But, visitors also have a chance to sightsee through horse-drawn trolleys or through surrey bicycles (bikes with four wheels).  The surreys were a very popular way to see the town alongside the cars.  We even saw a few families (some with three generations) doing this activity together.

Solvang horse-drawn trolley

Over the years, Solvang has become a major tourist attraction.  Its distance of less than a two-hour drive from Los Angeles have also made this a popular day trip location.  There are various photo ops around town for tourists including phone booths and Vikings.

Solving tourist photo ops image

A popular street attraction(usually with a line) is in front of the Solvang Shoe Store.  There’s something about this clog that makes people stop and pose next to it.  We’ve also seen a few adults and kids stuck inside the clog trying to get that precious photo.

solvanh shoe store clog image

There are countless unique shops for everyone in the family.  If one ever needs to dress up in traditional Danish attire or need some Nordic knives or music boxes, you’ll find them in Solvang.  Many restaurants line the streets and some of them have waitresses dressed in traditional Danish costume.  It’s not all Danish or Scandinavian food here.  One can find varied menus around town too.

Solvang restaurant image

One of the best times to visit Solvang is during the annual Danish Days festival, usually held on the third weekend of September.  This three-day celebration of parades, dancing, live music and living history exhibits honors the establishment of Solvang and its continuing preservation of Danish heritage.  We actually went to one a few years ago and remember it being very festive with a lot of food.  If you ever need to have a little piece of Denmark without using a passport and spending a lot less, now you know that Solvang is the perfect escape.

Solvang street image

*Have you visited Solvang?  If you’ve visited Denmark, how does this compare? Has a town inspired you to travel somewhere? 

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Solvang with kids

41 thoughts on “Strolling Solvang with Kids: Danish Capital of America”

  1. What a charming town – made me long for a return visit to Copenhagen! If you make it to Tivoli Gardens be sure to go on the Hans Christian Andersen ride – it was our favourite!

  2. I’ve seen Solvang on a map as I’ve considered putting together a wine tasting trip to that part of California. Bottom line though is I had no idea what the town would be like – and it seems particularly charming. You’ve included some lovely photos and I’d like one of those pastries right now. They look delicious.

    1. I hope you get to visit this part of California’s wine country, Leigh. It’s much less crowded and full of interesting towns. They were delicious pastries so I hope you get to visit Solvang to try them.

  3. I visited Solvang a lot as a kid – I suppose that means my parents liked its charm. Thanks for taking me on a virtual stroll down memory lane.

    1. I guess this is what my kids will say when they’re adults =) More than anything, they like visiting all the bakeries in Solvang. Glad to take you down your childhood memories.

  4. Wow, I doubt I’ve seen another place quite like this — it’s like you’ve stepped into Denmark . and it probably is more faithful to the architecture than the actual place. Homesickness can be such a powerful motivating force.

  5. We visited Solvang last month and really enjoyed our time there. The pastries were delicious- we took a ton home with us, and I really loved all the buildings and people. Great round up!

    1. Thanks Jade! We took a lot of pastries home too and have been munching on those addictive cookie buckets. Glad you enjoyed your time in Solvang.

  6. I could use a little Denmark orientation, too. Solvang looks like a great place for it. The aebleskiver looks particularly tasty. Glad that this town has kept its Danish character and charm. You’ll be well-prepared for your trip!

  7. Like Denise at top, I’m really not a fan of these kinds of towns. Trying so hard to make it ‘authentic’ has just the opposite effect.

    1. Thanks Bob. They’ve gone a whole lot more touristy than what the founders most likely envisioned but it’s a wonderful place to walk around.

  8. Based on the pictures I would never guess that that is a town in the US. I can’t believe the kind of detail they have included in creating a Danish city in a completely different place. I wonder how all the Danes deal with the constant California sun :)

    1. It is surprising to find this place in the middle of California surrounded by a growing wine region. I know a couple of Danes who aren’t too fond of the touristy feel of this place. I’m sure they appreciate living with all that sun compared to a cold Denmark winter.

    1. Thanks for hosting Becca! We like coming here for the all the Danish pastries and the unique shops. We think it’s a fun day or weekend trip.

  9. I enjoyed these photos. I visited Solvang a long time ago and you’re right it offers a little taste of Europe. I hope you enjoy the trip to Denmark!

  10. Sadly, I must report that I’m not a big fan of the Aebleskiver. Fortunately I’m a fan of pizza and Pannekoek, so I’m sure I can find something to keep me nourished here. I love the feel of the Danish town, although I will confess that every time I see a windmill, I look for a mini-golf course.

    1. Sorry no mini-golf course here, Steve. There was one restaurant who was supposed to serve good Pannekoek but had such a long line. We definitely need to try it or maybe just try it in Denmark. It’s a great place to walk around.

  11. Since I live here in California, I will have to check out Solvang. I’ve never been to Denmark but would love to go. I guess I can get a taste of it right here. Looks like a really interesting place. I have heard of it but didn’t know much about it.

  12. Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista

    I was in Solvang last fall and had some of those amazing pastry’s! Solvang is a very nice town to visit but it does get quite busy! The Santa Ynez Valley, however, is a wonderful place to spend a lot of time in. Wine, horse, food, beautiful scenery. . . do I need to say more?

  13. Without a doubt, such little “orientation” trips offer priceless educational experiences for young children who really learn best with reinforcement and repetition. When my kids were little we visited a local Oktoberfest before traveling to Germany, attended a marionette show and watched Sound of Music before going to Salzburg, and learned the mechanics of a windmill before going to Holland. If Denmark was in our travel plans Solvang would be a must-see first.

  14. It will be interesting to see if your children see the similarities between Solvang and the real Denmark. Will you be visiting Odense when you’re in Denmark? That will probably have a similar feel to Solvang. Copenhagen won’t, I think. It’s a big city, after all.

  15. It really looks like an authentic Danish village. But, it might have a little exaggeration since I doubt that Danish cities or villages will have that giant shoe or that windmill.

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